History

In 1947, the UN adopted a
partition plan
for a two-state solution in the remaining territory of the mandate. The plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership but rejected by the Arab leaders, and Britain refused to implement the plan. On the eve of final British withdrawal, the Jewish Agency for Israel
declared the establishment of the State of Israel
according to the proposed UN plan. The Arab Higher Committee
did not declare a state of its own and instead, together with Transjordan,
Egypt, and the other members of the
Arab League
of the time, commenced military action resulting in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. During the war, Israel gained additional territories that were designated to be part of the Arab state under the UN plan. Egypt
occupied
the Gaza Strip and Transjordan occupied and then annexed
the West Bank. Egypt initially supported the creation of an All-Palestine Government, but disbanded it in 1959. Transjordan never recognized it and instead decided to incorporate the West Bank with its own territory to form
Jordan.
The annexation
was ratified in 1950 but was rejected by the international community. The Six-Day War
in 1967, when Israel fought against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, ended with Israel occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip, besides other territories.

In 1964, when the West Bank was controlled by Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organization was established there with the goal to confront Israel. The
Palestinian National Charter
of the PLO defines the boundaries of Palestine as the whole remaining territory of the mandate, including Israel. Following the Six-Day War, the PLO moved to Jordan, but later relocated to Lebanon
after Black September
in 1971.

The October
1974 Arab League summit
designated the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" and reaffirmed "their right to establish an independent state of urgency."[33]
In November 1974, the PLO was recognized as competent on all matters concerning the question of Palestine by the UN General Assembly
granting them observer status
as a "non-state entity" at the UN.[34][35]
After the 1988 Declaration of Independence, the UN General Assembly officially acknowledged the proclamation and decided to use the designation "Palestine" instead of "Palestine Liberation Organization" in the UN.[36][37]
In spite of this decision, the PLO did not participate at the UN in its capacity of the State of Palestine's government.[38]

In 1979, through the
Camp David Accords, Egypt signaled an end to any claim of its own over the Gaza Strip. In July 1988, Jordan
ceded its claims to the West Bank—with the exception of guardianship over
Haram al-Sharif—to the PLO. In November 1988, the PLO legislature, while in exile, declared the establishment of the "State of Palestine". In the month following, it was quickly recognised by many states, including Egypt and Jordan. In the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, the State of Palestine is described as being established on the "Palestinian territory", without explicitly specifying further. Because of this, some of the countries that recognised the State of Palestine in their statements of recognition refer to the "1967 borders", thus recognizing as its territory only the occupied Palestinian territory, and not Israel. The UN membership application submitted by the State of Palestine also specified that it is based on the "1967 borders".[3]
During the negotiations of the Oslo Accords, the PLO recognised Israel's right to exist, and Israel recognised the PLO as representative of the Palestinian people. Between 1993 and 1998, the PLO made commitments to change the provisions of its Palestinian National Charter that are inconsistent with the aim for a two-state solution and peaceful coexistence with Israel.

As envisioned in the Oslo Accords, Israel allowed the PLO to establish interim administrative institutions in the Palestinian territories, which came in the form of the PNA. It was given civilian control in
Area B
and civilian and security control in Area A, and remained without involvement in Area C. In 2005, following the implementation of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, the PNA gained full control of the Gaza Strip with the exception of its borders, airspace, and
territorial waters.[iii]
Following the inter-Palestinian conflict
in 2006, Hamas
took over control of the Gaza Strip (it already had majority in the PLC), and Fatah
took control of the West Bank. From 2007, the Gaza Strip was governed by
Hamas, and the West Bank by Fatah.

On 29 November 2012, in a 138–9 vote (with 41 abstentions and 5 absences),[45]
the United Nations General Assembly
passed resolution 67/19, upgrading Palestine from an "observer entity" to a "non-member observer state" within the
United Nations system, which was described as recognition of the PLO's sovereignty.[26][27][46][47][48]
Palestine's new status is equivalent to that of the Holy See.[49]
The UN has permitted Palestine to title its representative office to the UN as "The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations",[50]
and Palestine has instructed its diplomats to officially represent "The State of Palestine"—no longer the Palestinian National Authority.[48]
On 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon declared that "the designation of 'State of Palestine' shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents",[51]
thus recognising the title 'State of Palestine' as the state's official name for all UN purposes. As of 14 September 2015, 136 (7001705000000000000♠70.5%) of the 193
member states
of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine.[47][52]
Many of the countries that do not recognise the State of Palestine nevertheless recognise the PLO as the "representative of the Palestinian people". The PLO's
Executive Committee
is empowered by the Palestinian National Council
to perform the functions of government of the State of Palestine.[53]

a. Data from Jerusalem includes occupied
East Jerusalem
with its Israeli population

The governorates in the West Bank are grouped into
three areas per the Oslo II Accord. Area A forms 18% of the West Bank by area, and is administered by the Palestinian government.[59][60]
Area B forms 22% of the West Bank, and is under Palestinian civil control, and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control.[59][60]Area C, except
East Jerusalem, forms 60% of the West Bank, and is administered by the
Israeli Civil Administration, except that the Palestinian government provides the education and medical services to the 150,000 Palestinians in the area.[59]
More than 99% of Area C is off limits to Palestinians.[61]
There are about 330,000 Israelis living in settlements
in Area C,[62]
in the Judea and Samaria Area. Although Area C is under
martial law, Israelis living there are judged in Israeli civil courts.[63]

East Jerusalem, the proclaimed capital of Palestine, is administered as part of the
Jerusalem District
of Israel, but is claimed by Palestine as part of the Jerusalem Governorate. It was annexed by Israel in 1980,[59]
but this annexation is not recognised by any other country.[64]
Of the 456,000 people in East Jerusalem, roughly 60% are Palestinians and 40% are Israelis.[59][65]

Foreign relations

Representation of the State of Palestine is performed by the
Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO). In states that recognise the State of Palestine it maintains embassies. The Palestine Liberation Organization is represented in various international organizations as member, associate or observer. Because of inconclusiveness in sources[66]
in some cases it is impossible to distinguish whether the participation is executed by the PLO as representative of the State of Palestine, by the PLO as a non-state entity or by the PNA.

As of 14 September 2015, 136 (7001705000000000000♠70.5%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine. Many of the countries that do not recognise the State of Palestine nevertheless recognise the PLO as the "representative of the
Palestinian people". The PLO's
executive committee
is empowered by the PNC to perform the functions of government of the State of Palestine.[53]

On 3 October 2014, new
Swedish
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven
used his inaugural address in parliament to announce that Sweden would recognise the state of Palestine. The official decision to do so was made on 30 October, making Sweden the first EU member state outside of the former communist bloc to recognise the state of Palestine. Most of the EU's 28 member states have refrained from recognising Palestinian statehood and those that do – such as Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – did so before accession.[68][69][70]

On 13 October 2014, the UK House of Commons voted by 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state.[71]
The House of Commons backed the move "as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution" – although less than half of MPs took part in the vote. However, the UK government is not bound to do anything as a result of the vote: its current policy is that it "reserves the right to recognise a Palestinian state bilaterally at the moment of our choosing and when it can best help bring about peace".[72]

On 2 December 2014, the
French parliament
voted by 331 to 151 in favour of urging their government to recognise Palestine as a state. The text, proposed by the ruling Socialists and backed by left-wing parties and some conservatives, asked the government to "use the recognition of a Palestinian state with the aim of resolving the conflict definitively".[73]

On 31 December 2014, the United Nations Security Council voted down a resolution demanding the end of Israeli occupation and statehood by 2017. Eight members voted for the Resolution (Russia, China, France, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan, Luxembourg), however following strenuous US and Israeli efforts to defeat the resolution,[74]
it did not get the minimum of nine votes needed to pass the resolution. Australia and the United States voted against the resolution, with five other nations abstaining.[75][76][77]

On 10 January 2015, the first Palestinian embassy in a western European country is open in Stockholm, Sweden.[78]

On 13 May 2015, the
Vatican
announced it was shifting recognition from the PLO to the State of Palestine, confirming a recognition of Palestine as a state after the UN vote of 2012.[79]
Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, Vatican foreign minister, said the change was in line with the evolving position of the Holy See, which has referred unofficially to the State of Palestine since Pope Francis's visit to the Holy Land in May 2014.[80]

On 23 December 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding Palestinian sovereignty over the natural resources in the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation. It called on Israel to desist from the exploitation, damage, cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of Palestinian natural resources, the right of Palestinians to seek restitution for extensive destruction. The motion was passed by 164 votes to 5, with Canada,
Federated States of Micronesia, Israel,
Marshall Islands, and the United States opposing.[81]

Raising the flag at the UN

In August 2015, Palestine's representatives at the UN presented a draft resolution that would allow the non-member observer states Palestine and the
Holy See
to raise their flags at the United Nations headquarters. Initially, the Palestinians presented their initiative as a joint effort with the Holy See, which the Holy See denied.[82]

In a letter to the Secretary General and the President of the General Assembly, Israel’s Ambassador at the UN
Ron Prosor
called the step "another cynical misuse of the UN ... in order to score political points".[83]

After the vote, the US Ambassador Samantha Power said that "raising the Palestinian flag will not bring Israelis and Palestinians any closer together".[84]
US state department spokesman Mark Toner called it a "counterproductive" attempt to pursue statehood claims outside of a negotiated settlement.[85]

Legal status

There are a wide variety of views regarding the status of the State of Palestine, both among the states of the international community and among legal scholars. The existence of a state of Palestine, although controversial, is a reality in the opinions of the states that have established bilateral diplomatic relations.[86][87][88][89]

Security

The State of Palestine has a number of security forces, including a
Civil Police Force,
National Security Forces
and Intelligence Services, with the function of maintaining security and protecting Palestinian citizens and the Palestinian State.

Demographics

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the State of Palestine had
population
of 4,420,549 people in 2013.[90]
Within an area of 6,220 square kilometres
(2,400 sq mi), there is a
population density
of 731 people per square kilometre.[citation needed]
To put this in a wider context, the average population density of the world was 53 people per square kilometre based on data from 5 July 2014.[citation needed]

Economy

Tourism

Tourism in the Palestinian territories refers to
tourism
in East Jerusalem, the
West Bank
and the Gaza Strip. In 2010, 4.6 million people visited the Palestinian territories, compared to 2.6 million in 2009. Of that number, 2.2 million were foreign tourists while 2.7 million were domestic.[95]
Most tourists come for only a few hours or as part of a day trip itinerary. In the last quarter of 2012 over 150,000 guests stayed in West Bank hotels; 40% were European and 9% were from the United States and Canada.[96]
Lonely Planet travel guide writes that "the West Bank is not the easiest place in which to travel but the effort is richly rewarded."[97]
In 2013 Palestinian Authority Tourism minister Rula Ma'ay'a
stated that her government aims to encourage international visits to Palestine, but the occupation is the main factor preventing the tourism sector from becoming a major income source to Palestinians.[98]
There are no visa conditions imposed on foreign nationals other than those imposed by the visa policy of Israel. Access to Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza is completely controlled by the Government of Israel. Entry to the occupied Palestinian territories requires only a valid international passport.[99]

Transportation

Water supply and sanitation

Water supply and sanitation in the Palestinian territories are characterized by severe water shortage and are highly influenced by the Israeli occupation. The water resources of Palestine are fully controlled by Israel and the division of groundwater is subject to provisions in the
Oslo II Accord.

Generally, the water quality is considerably worse in the
Gaza strip
when compared to the West Bank. About a third to half of the delivered water in the Palestinian territories is
lost in the distribution network. The lasting blockade of the Gaza Strip and the
Gaza War
have caused severe damage to the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.[100][101]
Concerning wastewater, the existing treatment plants do not have the capacity to treat all of the produced wastewater, causing severe water pollution.[102]
The development of the sector highly depends on external financing.[103]

Education

The literacy rate of Palestine was 96.3% according to a 2014 report by the
United Nations Development Programme, which is high by international standards. There is a gender difference in the population aged above 15 with 5.9% of women considered illiterate compared to 1.6% of men.[104]
Illiteracy among women has fallen from 20.3% in 1997 to less than 6% in 2014.[104]

See also

Notes

i.

^
Note that the name Palestine
can commonly be interpreted as the entire territory of the former British Mandate, which today also incorporates Israel. The history was expressed by Mahmoud Abbas in his September 2011 speech to the United Nations: "... we agreed to establish the State of Palestine on only 22% of the territory of historical Palestine – on all the Palestinian Territory occupied by Israel in 1967."[105]
The name is also officially used as the short-form reference to the State of Palestine[4]
and this should be distinguished from other homonymous uses for the term including the Palestinian Authority,[106]
the Palestine Liberation Organization,[36]
and the subject of other proposals for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

^
abLapidoth, Ruth
(2011). "Jerusalem: Some Legal Issues"(PDF).
The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. p. 26.
Archived(PDF)
from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved
5 June
2014.
The attitude of the Palestinians was expressed inter alia in 1988 and 2002. When the Palestine National Council proclaimed in November 1988 the establishment of a Palestinian State, it asserted that Jerusalem was its capital. In October 2002, the Palestinian Legislative Council adopted the Law on the Capital, which stipulates that Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian State, the main seat of its three branches of government. The State of Palestine is the sovereign of Jerusalem and of its holy places. Any statute or agreement that diminishes the rights of the Palestinian State in Jerusalem is invalid. This statute can be amended only with the consent of two-thirds of the members of the Legislative Council. The 2003 Basic Law also asserts that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine.
Reprinted from: Wolfrum, Rüdiger
(ed.) (online 2008, print 2011). The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. Oxford University Press.

^Miskin, Maayana (5 December 2012).
"PA Weighs 'State of Palestine' Passport".
israelnationalnews.com. Arutz Sheva.
Archived
from the original on 7 December 2012. Retrieved
8 June
2014.
A senior PA official revealed the plans in an interview with
Al-Quds
newspaper. The change to 'state' status is important because it shows that 'the state of Palestine is occupied,' he said.

^According to
Article 4 of the 1994 Paris Protocol. The Protocol allows the Palestinian Authority to adopt multiple currencies. In the
West Bank, the Israeli new sheqel and Jordanian dinar are widely accepted; while in the
Gaza Strip, the Israeli new sheqel and Egyptian pound are widely accepted.

^
abcdSayigh, Yezid (1999).
Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949–1993
(illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 624.
ISBN9780198296430.
"The Palestinian National Council also empowered the central council to form a government-in-exile when appropriate, and the executive committee
to perform the functions of government until such time as a government-in-exile was established."

^"Palestinian National Council (PNC)".
European Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro-Arab Cooperation. Medea Institute.
Archived
from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved
16 June
2014.
The Palestinian National Council (PNC), Parliament in exile of the Palestinian people, is the most important institution of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). The PNC elects the Executive Committee of the organization which makes up the leadership between sessions.

^Kearney, Michael and Denayer, Stijn, Al-Haq Position Paper on Issues Arising from the Palestinian Authority's Submission of a Declaration to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute (24 December 2009), para 43.a.

^Israel's Disengagement Plan: Renewing the Peace Process: "Israel will guard the perimeter of the Gaza Strip, continue to control Gaza air space, and continue to patrol the sea off the Gaza coast. ... Israel will continue to maintain its essential military presence to prevent arms smuggling along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt (Philadelphi Route), until the security situation and cooperation with Egypt permit an alternative security arrangement."

^Goldberg 2001, p. 147: “The parallels between this narrative and that of Exodus continue to be drawn. Like Pharaoh before him, Herod, having been frustrated in his original efforts, now seeks to achieve his objectives by implementing a program of infanticide. As a result, here - as in Exodus - rescuing the hero’s life from the clutches of the evil king necessitates a sudden flight to another country. And finally, in perhaps the most vivid parallel of all, the present narrative uses virtually the same words of the earlier one to provide the information that the coast is clear for the herds safe return: here, in Matthew 2:20, "go [back]… for those who sought the Childs life are dead; there, in Exodus 4:19, go back… for all the men who sought your life are dead.”